Cover: American Government: Stories of a Nation, 2nd Edition by Scott Abernathy; Karen Waples

American Government: Stories of a Nation

Second  Edition©2025  Scott Abernathy; Karen Waples

About

Table of Contents

Brief Contents
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
To the Student
Tips for Taking the AP ® Exam
American Government: What’s Inside the Second Edition

Unit 1 Foundations of American Democracy

Chapter 1 American Government and Politics
The Stories of Our Nation

Chapter 2 The Constitution
A New Vision of Government

Chapter 3 Federalism
Dividing Power between the National Government and the States

Unit 2 The Branches of the Federal Government
Chapter 4 Congress
 Representation, Organization, and Legislation
Chapter 5 The American Presidency
 Individuals, Institutions, and Executive Power
Chapter 6 The Federal Judiciary
 Politics, Power, and the “Least Dangerous” Branch
Chapter 7 The Federal Bureaucracy
 Carrying Out the Day-to-Day Functions of Government
Unit 3 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Chapter 8 Civil Liberties
 Protecting Fundamental Freedoms
Chapter 9 Civil Rights
 What Is Equality?
Unit 4 American Political Ideologies and Beliefs
Chapter 10 American Attitudes about Government and Politics
 What Americans Believe
Chapter 11 Public Opinion
 Measuring Americans’ Opinions
Chapter 12 Political Ideology
 How Beliefs Shape Our Choices
Unit 5 Political Participation
Chapter 13 Voting and Elections
 Elections and Voters in an Era of Demographic Change
Chapter 14 Political Parties and Campaigns
 The Powers and Limitations of Political Parties
Chapter 15 Interest Groups and Social Movements
 Collective Action, Power, and Representation
Chapter 16 The Media
 New Technologies, Enduring Issues
Practice Exam for AP ® U.S. Government and Politics
Political Party Affiliations in Congress and the Presidency, 1789–2021 A-1
Summary of Presidential Elections, 1789–2020 A-5
Glossary/Glosario G-1
Notes N-1 Index I-1

Scott Abernathy

After working as an on-street counselor for homeless adolescents in Boston, Scott received a master of curriculum and instruction and taught fourth and seventh grades in Wisconsin public schools. Hoping to learn more about the underlying systems that drove educational outcomes, Scott completed an M.P.A in domestic policy and then a Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University. Scott is now an associate professor of political science and a University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Minnesota. He is also the author of School Choice and the Future of American Democracy and No Child Left Behind and the Public Schools, both from University of Michigan Press.

Karen Waples

Formerly a trial attorney, Karen Waples has taught since 1989 and currently teaches AP® Comparative Government and Politics and AP® U.S. Government and Politics at Holy Family High School in Broomfield, Colorado. Karen has served as a reader, table leader, question leader, and exam leader for the AP® Comparative Government and Politics Exam and as a reader for the AP® U.S. Government and Politics and AP® U.S. History Exams. She is an endorsed consultant for the College Board® and leads workshops and institutes throughout the country for both the AP® Comparative Government and Politics course and the AP® U.S. Government and Politics course. Karen was the chair of the College Board® Social Science Academic Advisory Committee and was a member of the Curriculum Re-design Committee for AP® U.S. Government and Politics. She received the Colorado Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education in 1997 and was recognized as a Cherry Creek High School Teacher of the Year in 2002.